Clamp



Sept. 26, 1944. ()DELL 2,359,146

CLAMP Filed June 7, 1943 0,0/1? Ode/4 v Patented Sept. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAMP pie Odell, San Francisco, Calif. Application June 7, 1943, Serial No. 490,003

2 Claims.

coming accidentally detached from the beam and is so constructed that its gripping action on the beam will not injure or otherwise damage the beam.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Fora complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a clamp constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the application thereof to a beam.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view, partly in section, showing the clamp installed on the beam.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates an elongated body which has integral with one end thereof a fixed jaw 6. The jaw 6 over-lies a portion of the body and is spaced therefrom to provide a slot or recess '5 to accommodate the horizontal portion 8 of a beam 9. The beam 9 may be of the L shaped type or channel type so that the horizontal portion 8 thereof may be received within the slot or recess l with the fixed jaw overlying the horizontal portion and th body portion 5 arranged horizontally and underlying the horizontal portion t of the beam.

The other end portion of the body 5 is biiurcated and apertured to receive a removable pivot H). The bifurcation of the body opens out= wardly through the upper and lower edges there of and through one end of the body to permit application to the body a movable jaw I I and its shank iii, a portion of which protrudes from the bifurcation of the body 5 along the lower edge thereof and is apertured to receive an attaching ring M. By'referring to Figure 1 it will be noted that the bifurcation opens outwardly through the lower edge of the body 5 for a greater distance than it does through the upper edge,

for the purpose of forming an abutment or shoulder I5 within the bifurcation and which acts to limit the pivotal movement of the movable jaw ll away from the beam 9. Also it will be seen that the attaching ring I4 is located directly under the fixed law 6 permitting any load suspended on the beam 9 by the clamp to depend in a perpendicular position and with the load acting to urge the jaw ll toward the beam 9 whereby the gripping action of the clamp on the beam will be increased as the load is increased, obviating any possibility of the clamp becoming accidentally detached from the beam.

In applying the clamp to the beam the movable jaw II and shank I3 is detached from the body 5 by the removal of the pivot pin I0. The body and fixed law 8 are then slid onto the horizontal portion 8 of the beam in a sidewise direction with respect to the beam locating the body 5 transversely of the beam and under the latter with the fixed jaw overlying the horizontal portion 8 of the beam. The movable jaw H i then applied to the body by passing the pivot pin through said movable jaw and the bifurcated portion of the body 5. As soon as any load is applied to the ring M, the movable jaw swings toward the fixed jaw and thereby firmly grips the beam without danger of bending or otherwise injuring the beam.

The lower edge of the body 5 within the hi iurcated portion of the latter may be provided with aligned notches to accommodate the l4 when the shank is of the movable jaw the shoulder i5.

While I have shown and described the pre ferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a beam clamp, an elongated body arranged transversely of and under a beam, a fixed jaw integral with one end of the body and overlying and spaced from a portion of said body to provide a space for accommodating a flange of the beam, said body having a bifurcation opening outwardly through the other end thereof and through the upper and lower edges of said body, a removable pivot pin carried by the bifurcated portion of the body, a movable jaw carried by said pivot pin and including an angularlv disposed shank operating partially within the bifurcation of the body and having an aperature adjacent its free end, and a load attaching ring extending through the aperture of the shank.

2. In a clamp for an angle iron supporting beam including vertical and horizontal portions, an elongated body arranged transversely of and under the beam and of a length approximately twice the width of the horizontal portion of the beam, an elongated fixed jaw integral with one end of the body and extending over and spaced from the body to provide anelongated space open at one end to permit the horizontal portion of the beam to enter said space with the upper face thereof contacted by the fixed jaw, said fixed jaw contacting the upper face of the longitudinal portion of the beam throughout the full width of said horizontal portion and the fixed jaw and having an elongated vertical face to contact the vertical portion of the beam, said body having a bifurcation opening through the other end of said body and through the upper and lower edges of the latter and for a greater distance through the lower edge than the upper edge of the body, a removable pivot pin carried by the body adjacent the last mentioned and of the body and located closer to the upper edge of the body than the lower edge of said body and laterally of the beam, a movable jaw carried by the pivot pin within the bifurcation of the body and extending upwardly from the bifurcation and provided with an elongated face to bear against the vertical portion of the beam opposite to the vertieal elongated face of the fixed jaw, an elongated shank having one end integral with the pivoted end of the movable jaw and lying partly within the bifurcation of the body and provided with an opening located outwardly of the bifurcation of the body and laterally of the movable jaw and under the fixed jaw, and a load connecting means extending through the opening.

OPIE ODELL. 

